Abstract: Rosewill ship the RCX-Z1 with a patch of pre-applied thermal compound and a PCI bracket fan speed controller. The 92mm spins at between 1700-310RPM, which generates as much as 54 dBA, according to our real world sound measurements.

The
Rosewill RCX-Z1 is an economical socket AM2 or 939 AMD Athlon64 heatsink in the
most basic sense. In fact, it has been quite a while since FrostyTech has
tested an extruded aluminum cooler for a modern processor. Apart from its copper
heat spreader base plate, this is a very simple heatsink that is cheap
and simple to install. It's thermal performance is satisfactory for AMD
Sempron or any of the new lower wattage Athlon64 CPUs.

Rosewill ship the RCX-Z1 with a patch of pre-applied
thermal compound and a PCI bracket fan speed controller. The 92mm spins at between 1700-310RPM, which generates as much as
54 dBA, according to our real world sound measurements. Given the recent advancements in Pulse
Width Modulation (PWM) controlled fans, or even thermally responsive fans, it seems
remarkable to move back to standard fans that run at
constant speeds. The fan speed controller is a good way to dial
the noise levels down, but we can't help but think a thermally responsive
fan would have been more effective option in the long run.

The Rosewill RCX-Z1 is compatible with
both socket AM2 and socket 754/939/940 retention frames, and retails for around
$20 online.

Rosewill RCX-Z1 Heatsink

HEATSINK
SPECSHEET

Manufacturer: Rosewill

Model No.: RCX-Z1

Materials: Extruded aluminum, copper base heat spreader.

Fan Mfg: Rosewill MH9225H12B

Fan Spec: 1700-3100RPM, 12V, 0.26A

Fan Dim: 25x92x92mm

Heatsink & Fan Dim: 74x92x92mm

Weight: est. 450 grams

Includes: Fan speed controller, thermal
compound

Compatible with Sockets: 754/939/940/AM2

Est. Pricing: $20USD ($24CDN /
£10GBP)

The Rosewill RCX-Z2-EX heatsink ships a
PCI bracket fan speed controller and a couple pairs of jumper cables. The fan speed controller draws power from
any standard molex connection, and the fan plugs directly into it.

Alternatively, another set of jumper wires can be used to deliver an RPM signal directly to the motherboard fan header. Some PC systems need to detect
a CPU fan speed signal or they will automatically shut down. The power cables are long enough to reach
around videocards or other peripherals which may be located near by.

FrostyTech's K8 Test Methodology is outlined in detail
here if you care to know what equipment is
used, and the parameters under which the tests are conducted.

Now let's move
forward and take a closer look at this heatsink, its acoustic characteristics,
and of course it performance in the thermal tests!